KAREN CANNARD: Football skills are an inspiration

I am the most unlikely person on this planet to ever write a column about football skills and I bet even the mention of it has caused our dear editor to fall off his chair in shock.

And as for Mark Murphy over at BBC Radio Suffolk, he’s witnessed my face glaze over with blankness many a time at any discussion of the game. I am indeed not a footy fan.

However, put all that to one side for the next few minutes as I lead you in the direction of one of my favourite Internet discoveries, which is thoroughly entertaining, informative and very inspirational. And yes, it’s about football skills. But trust me, even if you’re not a fan of the game, the STRSkillSchool YouTube channel will still tickle your wow factor antennae.

Just point your mouse to the Insane Football Skills videos and wait to be amazed, especially by World Freestyle Champion Andrew Henderson doing impossible things with a football on the London Underground. The inspiration that sits behind STRSkillSchool is Bury St Edmunds’ own Steve Roberts, a UEFA B trainer who has developed his coaching platform into a successful online channel, creating well produced content that frequently reaches viral heights. With over a quarter of a million subscribers and 55 million content views, STRSkillSchool is one of the most successful football-related channels in the UK and, in my humble opinion, it’s also the best example of social media talent to originate out of Suffolk.

Wow, that endorsement is quite a surprise from a woman whose only appreciation of the sport in recent years has been a visit to Ipswich Town Football Club to check out the club’s recycling rates.

Yet, having discovered Steve’s work at the recent Fresh Festival, I know that aspiring footballers will absolutely love it and anyone who wants to create a successful YouTube channel will most definitely be inspired too!